The organisation Reporters Without Borders honoured journalists in war zones for their work under pressure and in danger this year, with a Belgian photographer, Gaël Turine, also receiving an award.
Turine received an award for his coverage of the opioid crisis in the US, specifically in Philadelphia. For decades, Reporters Without Borders has recognised journalists who continue their work despite life-threatening circumstances and who uphold the right to free expression through the Press Freedom Awards.
At the Press Freedom Awards ceremony in Washington, the Courage Award was given to Wael Dahdouh, bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Gaza. Despite personal losses and great danger, he continued to report on the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip. His wife, a grandchild, and three of his children died in the conflict. Dahdouh himself was injured.
The Impact Award was given to Ukrainian journalist Natalia Humenyuk. Her organisation, The Reckoning Project, documents war crimes and has shown how Russia is responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children. This led to arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Independence Award was presented to Indian journalist Ravish Kumar. His commitment to free journalism, despite political pressure and his coverage of marginalised issues, has made him an important voice in increasingly authoritarian India.
The African Investigative Journalism Award went to Mariam Ouédraogo from Burkina Faso, who highlighted sexual violence in the context of terrorism.
